Nottinghamshire to see thousands of trees planted as part of £12 million plan to combat climate change

Nottinghamshire is set to see thousands of trees planted as part of a £12million plan for 500 hectares of new woodland in 2021.
Nottinghamshire woodlandNottinghamshire woodland
Nottinghamshire woodland

Greenwood Community Forest, hosted and supported by Nottinghamshire County Council, will be one of ten community forests across the country planting 500 hectares of new woodland over the next five months.

DEFRA has announced funding for this new ‘Trees for Climate’ programme as part of the Government’s ‘Nature for Climate’ fund, to deliver widespread woodland creation to help combat the climate emergency.

These ‘climate combatting’ woodlands will appear around towns and cities, and for the next five years a wider programme has been drawn up for more than 6,000 hectares of new woodlands, one of the biggest environmental regeneration initiatives the UK has seen.

Nottinghamshire’s community forestry initiative, Greenwood Community Forest, is a key partner in this new programme.

In total, the trees to be planted across winter 2020 and into 2021 will eventually store more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and will also help in making local landscapes more resilient to the impacts of climate change.Councillor John Cottee, chair of the communities and place committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We have supported Greenwood Community Forest for 30 years, and we are delighted to be part of the ‘Trees for Climate’ programme.

"As well as helping in the fight against climate change, woodlands and trees are of great local value, helping to improve air quality, acting as a habitat for wildlife, and providing spaces for people to relax and exercise in.”The funding will also create new jobs and secure existing ones within the forestry sector and open up new opportunities for people seeking a career in the environment sector. The delivery programmes will offer a wide range of added benefits, unique to community forestry, including high levels of community engagement.

Councillor Kay Cutts, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “This will also be a welcome contribution towards our post-Covid economic recovery, supporting local suppliers, tree nurseries and tree planting contractors, and making Nottinghamshire a more attractive place for people to live, work and visit.”